O'Dwyer was found guilty of deliberately hampering Sabre Light

Jockey Jerry O'Dwyer and trainer Jeff Pearce have been warned off for ensuring the Irish horse Sabre Light did not run on its merits.

O'Dwyer and Pearce received bans of 18 months and three years respectively, while former trainer Geoff Huffer was punished with a four-year penalty.

Sabre Light came fifth in a field of 13 at Lingfield in December 2008 but there had been suspicious betting patterns.

Seven other people were excluded indefinitely for betting on the result.

The six-year-old gelding had won on his previous three starts and could be backed at 7-2 at the start of the Holly And The Ivy Claiming Stakes on 17 December 2008.

But he finished five and three-quarter lengths adrift of the winner, sparking an inquiry by stewards who had been placed on alert by the British Horseracing Authority.

Although they found nothing wrong in his run, the BHA's Integrity and Licensing Department subsequently launched an in-depth investigation into the case.

Pearce has also been found guilty of deliberately obscuring the true ownership of the horse.

Huffer, who won the 2000 Guineas in 2007 with Cockney Rebel, was found to have lied to investigators as part of a "planned subterfuge".

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